Not Everything is Black and White
by widerthandistance5647
Summary: What if Regina wasn't as evil as she was thought to be? What if Snow White and Prince Charming weren't as good? What if something happens that leaves Regina as the reluctant hero? What will this mean for Emma and Henry? (Possibly SQ) Neverland AU
1. Prologue

Something was wrong. If there was one thing Regina Mills was good at, it was sensing when something was not quite right and currently she was sensing that something was very, very wrong. Something other than being trapped on a godforsaken island with her mortal enemies, searching to find her son, whom she wasn't quite sure loved her any more, to rescue him from some purportedly magically potent teenager who calls himself _Peter Pan. _ Something other than that was amiss, and she was most certainly going to get to the bottom of it. Because if one of the Charmings or the damned pirate messed up whatever chance she had of saving Henry, she'd destroy their happiness if it was the last thing she did, again. And this time she'd make sure it stuck.

Regina had been closely walking next to Emma as the ragtag group of rescuers made their way through the jungles of Neverland, because even though Emma had appointed herself_ leader, _Regina was not going to allow herself to be _led. _She had been queen, the Evil Queen even, and a queen was not led, especially not by the likes of Emma Swan.

But, despite the fact she'd never admit it out loud, Emma was doing a fairly decent job as leader, and whatever was wrong, Regina was sure it didn't have anything to do with Emma _this _time. So she started slowing down. She received a sideways look from Emma, but she ignored it and muttered something about her shoes. Because, if Regina Mills could count on anything, it was Emma's lack of appreciation for fashion. And she knew that, yes, Emma would accept the excuse that her 'insensible' heels were bothering her on this jungle trek. More importantly, Regina knew that Emma would let it go.

That was one thing she truly liked about the Savior. Emma Swan was good for a challenge, expected it even, but when Regina, for whatever reason, backed down, Emma allowed her to without any questions and Regina had no fear that Emma would bring it up in a future argument as a weakness on Regina's part. And Regina tried to afford Emma the same courtesy, most of the time.

As Regina slowed her pace, she tried to gauge the moods of the rest of her companions. Gold had abandoned the group, certain that he had the answer to their problem and that he would be better off on his own. Snow was, well, Snow and while Regina would probably always find her a tad bothersome, if not totally frustrating, Regina knew that her former stepdaughter was not cause for concern at the moment. Which left Charming and the pirate.

Regina slowed her pace even more until she was trailing behind Snow and she could get a good decent look at Charming and Hook in her peripheral vision. They seemed to be deep in conversation, and if Regina's senses were right, it was an argument. She tried to slow down even more so that she could overhear what they were saying, because if they were fighting then it had to be about something important. And if they were discussing something important, she definitely needed to know about it. They were trying to rescue _her son_, after all.

She stopped and crouched down, pretending to inspect some of the brush lining the path for clues. If anyone asked, she'd say she heard something and wanted to make sure another ambush wasn't being set up. And that's when she noticed that Charming and Hook had stopped as well. Hook had lifted up Charming's shirt and that's when Regina heard it.

"How long?" Charming's voice, a strained low tone, carried to where Regina was crouched. And Hook's answer of: "Not sure, mate. Not long. You need to tell them." also reached her ears.

Regina was furious. Whatever was going on, whatever Charming needed to _tell _everyone needed to be said right now. Abandoning all pretense of looking for adolescents hiding behind the underbrush, Regina stomped in the direction of the pirate and the farm boy-cum-prince. She paused before she got too close, because that's when she noticed what Hook was looking at under Charming's shirt. A wound.

_Dreamshade. _No doubt when Charming had stepped in front of Snow White during the latest attack from Pan, the arrow that nicked him was covered in the poison. The same poison Hook warned them was deadly.

"Shit," muttered Regina. This was so not what she needed right now. As incompetent as she generally found the Charmings to be, she was counting on them to help her save her son, in some capacity. And now they were one member weaker, and the prince was keeping his impending death a secret. How noble.

Her whispered curse got the attention of Hook and Charming, and the latter quickly brushed his shirt down and shot her a sheepish smile. Regina glared at him before turning around to make her way back toward Emma.

She quickly stormed past Snow and was next to Emma in a flash. Regina noted that the side of Emma's mouth quickly turned up in a half smile before going back to the scowl she had sported throughout their time in Neverland. Regina momentarily forgot the anger she felt at Charming's idiocy and shot Emma a questioning glance.

Emma shrugged, "Doesn't look like your shoes are bothering you much right now. You got back here awfully fast."

"Oh," Regina said. She hadn't expected that. "I wanted to make sure you weren't getting us lost."

Letting out an empty laugh, Emma brandished the map she had been carrying since Pan had turned it over, "I might be a Lost Girl, Madam Mayor, but I know how to read a map. We're headed in the right direction, for now."

"For now?" Regina quirked an eyebrow.

"Pan's camp keeps moving," Emma shrugged again. "But I think I've figured it out."

"Really, Sheriff?" Regina asked. "Have you?"

Emma nodded, "The camp is moving counterclockwise and it only moves every two hours. I figure with our pace, if we move in this direction, we should be able to intercept the camp the next time it moves."

Regina was impressed and she made it known, "Very clever."

Emma smiled again, briefly, before her face took on that same serious expression. "Why were you in such a hurry?"

"Pardon?" Regina asked, Charming's predicament almost fully forgotten now that she felt like she and Emma were closer to finding Henry, to saving him.

"Earlier," Emma gestured with her hand to the path behind them, "when you came rushing back up here. I know it wasn't to check on me." At Regina's expression of disbelief, Emma just said, "Superpower, remember?"

Regina nodded, well aware of Emma's superpower. "I was thinking about what I said earlier."

"When?" Emma asked, slowing her pace ever slightly, paying more attention to Regina.

Regina appreciated the gesture, because even though she could walk perfectly fine in her heels no matter the terrain, it was slightly difficult keeping up with the Savior's lengthy strides. "When I said we should split from the group." Before Emma could protest again, Regina continued, "I know you don't think that's a good idea, and I'm willing to compromise."

"I'm listening," Emma said, and Regina was surprised to find that Emma actually _was _listening and considering her opinion.

"Well, like I said, I might not be strong enough to defeat Pan magically on my own," Regina went on, "but I think together, if we combine your powers and mine, we can do it."

Emma shook her head, "I don't know how to control my magic."

"I know," Regina said, "which is why I propose I teach you. I know it'll put a bit of a damper on your plan to intercept Pan's camp right away, but if you're right, we should be able to track them the next time they move. And we shouldn't try to ambush them without being ready to fight."

Emma eyed Regina warily, "I know that's not the whole truth. You're hiding something, but I'll let it go, for now."

This time it was Regina who eyed the Savior, "And why is that?"

"Because I think you're right," she answered simply. "We'll stop soon and then we can practice."

Regina just nodded, because she _was _right. She and the Savior would have to combine all of their power to defeat Pan, if the rumors were correct. The two kept walking and Regina was feeling rather odd. She knew she should probably alert Emma, at the very least, to her father's predicament, but Charming wanted to keep it a secret and as of yet it had not hindered their progress. And, unlike Snow White, Regina could keep a secret. So she wouldn't tell, not until his foolishness seemed to actually prove to be a problem.

Because as far as Regina was concerned right now, the only ones that needed to, and could, save Henry were herself and Emma. The Charmings and the pirate were just extraneous company and, perhaps, decoys if things got harry. It was she and Emma that possessed magic, and it was magic that would defeat Pan.


	2. Chapter 1

Emma and Regina settled on a small clearing as their resting place. They explained to the rest of the group that it was time for a break. Snow, of course, tried to protest because they were making _so_ much progress.

"Yeah," Emma had gritted out after minutes of bickering with her _mother _about it, "and Regina and I have decided that it'd be best if we halt our 'progress' to come up with a plan that will actually work, so that we can, I don't know, do what we came here to do and _save our son."_

At this, Snow looked very affronted and Regina didn't know whether to laugh at her expression or beam at Emma's comments, so she did neither. And, moments later, she was glad she refrained, because Emma wasn't finished.

"We aren't all fairytale characters, Mary Mar – uh, Snow," Emma said, her tone remaining confident despite her stumbling over her mother's name. "We all can't be Prince Charming and rush in with swords drawn, expecting to save the day. The real world doesn't work that way, and while Neverland and magic isn't exactly what I'd call 'real world' either, I know that storming into Pan's camp without a basic plan beyond 'Grab the kid and go.' is a mistake waiting to happen. And I don't know about you, but I'd say we're already pretty screwed as it is and I would hate to see what the consequences of being _unprepared _would be. So, we're staying. That's final. At least, Regina and I will be staying."

"Why?" was all that came out of Snow's mouth after her daughter's little tirade.

Emma licked her lips and actually looked slightly nervous, although Regina was unable to determine why. "Because I, uh, like I said, we have to form a plan. And, um, Regina's going to teach me how to use my magic."

Snow's eyes grew as wide as saucers and Regina did not need the gift of foresight to predict the extremely loud, "WHAT?" that came out of her mouth.

Emma fidgeted, but before she was able to reply, Regina stepped forward and fixed an icy stare in Snow's direction. "You heard her, dear. Unlike the rest of the jungle after your little outburst, I know you aren't hard of hearing. I'll be teaching Emma how to hone her magic. Don't worry. I won't corrupt your precious little girl, and don't even think of stopping us. I'm not forcing her. She agreed. This is what's best for Henry."

Regina couldn't quite allow the words 'our son' to fall from her lips as easily as Emma seemed to have, but the sentiment was behind it regardless. Henry may have been _her _son for the first ten years of his life and she might have remained reluctant to admit Emma had any claim to his life, but the more time she spent with the blonde, the more she knows that her original assumptions regarding the Savior were incorrect. And Henry, when all was said and done, was both of theirs. Perhaps not equally and currently she was sure she possessed the lesser portion of his affections, but they shared him all the same. And they would continue to do so if they could ever find him and bring him back home.

To do that, they needed to stop this foolishness with Snow and get to work. Regina was about to bark out orders like the Queen she was, to give her and the Savior some space, when Emma decided to speak.

"She's right, Snow," Emma sighed. She sounded so tired. "We need to do this. For Henry. Okay? So, look, just let us do what we need to do. Don't worry about me. Go with David and Hook and go find some firewood or something, okay? I may not know much about magic, but I do know that it'll take a while for me to get the hang of the basics. We'll probably stay here for the night."

Snow studied Emma for a moment before replying, "Are you sure?"

Emma gave her a small half smile, "Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry about me. I can handle the Evil Queen."

A nod from Snow White was all she got in return for her comment before Snow went to talk to Charming and Hook about finding firewood.

Regina smirked at Emma once they were alone, "You really think you can handle me?"

The Savior grinned, "In those shoes? I bet I could."

"Ah," Regina nodded, "it's not the shoes you have to worry about, Miss Swan. It's the magic."

With that, Regina conjured a small fireball and feigned aiming it in Emma's direction. Emma, for her part, looked a little startled by the sudden appearance of the weapon but she did not concede ground. "Because," Regina continued, impressed that Emma appeared as confident as ever when she knew she couldn't stop Regina with her untrained magic, "I don't have to run very far in _these _shoes to hit you with one of these."

Emma shrugged, "I suppose not, but I know you won't do it."

Regina looked quizzically at Emma, "And why do you seem so sure of that?"

"Because," Emma replied simply, "our son really wouldn't approve of his moms hurting each other when they were trying to save him."

Regina tried to keep the smile hidden. She really did. But when she was faced with the ease with which Emma was able to teasingly say 'our son' and 'his moms' without any hint of the malice or disgust that would've surely laced the words had she spoken them, a feeling she was unaccustomed to came over her. Emma had accepted her, and it wasn't often that Regina was accepted.

And, with the revelation Pan made Emma go through to 'unlock' the map, Regina knew acceptance wasn't something Emma was exactly familiar with either. So instead of making a snippy remark or questioning how Emma would know what Henry would approve of since she's only known him, for all practical purposes, for a few months, Regina just said, "Very well then. You're safe, for now. Because of Henry."

She almost missed the breathy, "Yeah, for Henry," that Emma chuckled a moment later. Almost.

* * *

The two women had made some progress by the time Hook and the Charmings returned with firewood. That, of course, only meant that Emma had learned how to barely levitate a small log. But at least she was learning.

"I never thought I'd say this," Regina said, "but thank goodness you guys are back. We need to use the firewood, thank you."

Emma helped her parents unload the firewood and said, "Yeah, 'cause I really need more sticks to float."

"Actually," Regina said, "you're going to start a fire."

"I was a Girl Scout," Emma began, before she amended, "for a very brief period of time. I know how to make a fire without, you know, magic."

"That very well may be, Miss Swan," Regina said, using her best unimpressed voice, "but we are not going to defeat Pan by using flint. If you can conjure up fireballs, however, we may have a fighting chance."

Emma nodded, "Right. Fireballs. Like you. How hard could it be?"

Hook clapped Emma on the shoulder with his good hand, "That's the spirit, Swan!" before he made his way over to Charming and the two once again were involved in a private discussion.

Before Regina could think about eavesdropping, however, to find out the progression of Charming's illness, Snow piped up, "Aren't fireballs dangerous, though?"

Rolling her eyes, Regina looked at Snow like she was a rather slow child, "Yes, they are. Which is why I want to teach Emma how to conjure and use them. Because they are dangerous. And they will help us to save Henry."

"Yeah," Snow said, "I understand that, Regina. But don't you think it's a little, I don't know, advanced for Emma?"

Regina quickly glanced at Emma and she immediately wished she hadn't, because, just for a split second, she saw a look of hurt cross Emma's face, a hurt she had felt quite often herself. A hurt that said she wasn't good enough. But Emma quickly masked that look and Regina answered Snow, pretending she didn't see it, "Emma's a big girl, Snow. And we are pressed for time. Maybe if I were leisurely teaching her how to control her magic, we could go from levitating logs to making cupcakes appear out of thin air, but we don't have that luxury. Emma's magic is very powerful. More powerful than mine, even, but it will be of no use if she can't control it. If Emma can _handle _the Evil Queen, she should have no trouble _handling _a couple fireballs. Right, Emma?"

Emma perked up slightly, Regina noted, the confident Swan swagger she attributed Emma back in full force. It often appeared after Emma felt challenged; Regina knew this from personal experience. "Yeah," she stated confidently, "I can totally conjure up some fireballs. Show me how it's done, Your Majesty."

Snow cocked her head at Emma's use of Regina's former title, and Regina admitted she was curious as to why Emma addressed her as such, but before either of them could comment on it, David and Hook came up to them.

"Your father and I must make a little detour, love," Hook said, addressing Emma.

Emma eyeballed him and her father suspiciously, "Why?"

"To, uh, get some," Charming stuttered, "thing."

"Right, lass," Hook said, plastering a smile to his face, "What your father means to say is we are to retrieve a sextant. My brother and I left it here on my first venture in Neverland and I think it may help us. It's special, you see."

Emma did not look convinced, and Snow seemed exceptionally curious as well. Regina knew that whatever the two men were planning, it did not have to do with retrieving a sextant and most likely had to do with Charming's dying from Dreamshade, but she wasn't going to voice her suspicions. As long as the two men did not get themselves killed, or worse, lead Pan and his little army of miscreants here to them, Regina was fine with whatever convoluted plan they had concocted.

"Let them go," Regina said. "Let them find this sextant. We need to practice, Emma. And it'll be easier for you if they aren't here."

"While I appreciate you trying to keep things easy for me," Emma began, "I know it won't be easy in the field. Maybe distractions would help."

"Oh, trust me, dear," Regina smiled, "I'll be distraction enough for you. Let your father and the pirate go."

Without waiting for Emma to confirm Regina's permission for them to go, Charming and the pirate headed off to the woods, but not before Snow and the prince whispered 'I love you.' and 'I will always find you.' much to both Regina's and Emma's chagrin.

Once the men were on their way to do whatever it was they were actually planning on doing, Regina found herself left with a Savior eager to learn how to make fire and a Snow White who was eager to make sure Regina didn't turn her daughter evil.

Under the watchful eye of Mary Margaret, who was perched on the log Emma had been hovering previously, Emma turned to Regina with a small grin and said, "Let's make some magic."


	3. Chapter 2

"Very good, Emma," Regina praised. The Savior had managed to not only master conjuring fireballs, but her aim was fairly good as well. The two sorceresses had quickly progressed from fireballs to teleportation and other skills Regina deemed necessary for Emma to learn for any potential standoff with Peter Pan.

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of this," Emma said, appearing behind Regina with a fireball in each of her hands.

Regina smirked, "Good. There may be hope for you yet."

Throughout their magical tutoring session, Snow had not moved from the log she sat on but the worried expression on her face had eventually waned and it was clear she was beginning to grow excited to see her daughter mastering this new skill, even if she distrusted magic and Regina.

"Good job, honey!" Snow cheered after Emma managed to shield herself from the fireball Regina aimed her way and extinguish it.

Regina huffed out a short, "You were supposed to send it back _to _me, not put it out!"

But Emma only smirked and muttered, "Like I said before, Henry wouldn't approve of his moms hurting each other. If you were Pan, I'd've done it."

The queen stared at her for a little bit, as if questioning the truth of her words, before she eventually said, "Well, I think you've exerted yourself enough for right now. You did very well. There's only one more task for you to do."

"Oh, yeah?" asked Emma, eager. "What's that?"

"Light a fire," Regina answered, indicating the pile of firewood that had been set up earlier for that very purpose.

Emma looked at the firewood and then back to Regina, "So do I just aim a fireball at it?"

Regina shook her head, "No. Imagine the wood catching on fire. It's like imagining the fire appearing in your hands, but you have to use a stronger magic. You have to imagine the wood and the way the flames will appear. How the sparks will grow into flames that will engulf the wood. Imagine how the flames will _burn _the wood."

The Savior looked confused, but she stared at the wood and appeared to be willing it to catch fire. After a few moments of nothing happening, she glanced back up at Regina, "Um, it's not working."

"Get angry," Regina said, walking up behind her, touching her shoulder briefly. "Let your anger consume you like you want the flames to consume the firewood."

Emma scratched her head lightly, "Do I have to get angry? Isn't there another way?"

"Magic is fueled by emotion, Miss Swan," Regina said, a little frustrated because her pupil had been doing so well, "and anger is a powerful emotion. Harness it. Let it fuel your magic."

Emma stared at Regina, uncertainty in her eyes. "I just, Regina, I can't. I'm not angry, really. I can't let it, I can't let anger control me."

This comment made Regina angry, because Emma _should _be angry. She should be as angry as Regina, because their son was gone. "Miss Swan, I do hope you're lying, because I do not understand how you _cannot _be angry right now. _Henry_ has been kidnapped by a malevolent teenage boy we know nothing about and is being held captive on this godforsaken island in a camp that keeps moving. And the only chance we have of getting him back is if you get angry and let that anger help you use your magic. _I, _for one, am very angry. I'm angry that I'm even in this position in the first place, trying to find Henry. I'm angry that my magic isn't enough. I'm angry that I need to combine my powers with those of the 'Savior', with you, and I'm angry that you won't let me do that to save _our son!" _

Regina had said it. 'Our son' had escaped her lips and she could see by Emma's expression that the Savior was shocked. Whether by the words or her anger, Regina wasn't certain. But what Regina did know was that Emma was hurt, and looking at her, closely, she could see she didn't look particularly angry. She looked defeated.

So Regina was surprised when Emma stepped into her personal space and gritted out, "Don't you _dare _imply that I don't care enough about Henry." before she stormed away from Regina and into the woods.

Snow got up from her perch on the log to follow her daughter while glaring at Regina like she was the Evil Queen again, but Regina stopped her before she could get very far.

"Don't, Snow," Regina said. "Let me. I'll fix it. You stay here and wait for Charming and the pirate. It's getting dark and they should be back soon."

With those words and Snow's reluctant obedience, Regina quickly lit the fire, just in case it took longer to convince Emma to come back than she planned, and then she took off in search of the Savior.

* * *

It didn't take long for Regina to find her. Emma was sitting on the ground, leaning up against a tree, not too far from the clearing they had been practicing in.

Upon hearing her approach, Emma looked up, "What?"

"I'm sorry," Regina said, surprise coloring her tone because that is not what she had planned to say.

Emma gave her a look that said she didn't quite believe her and she shrugged, "Why? You were right. I should be angry."

"No," Regina said quickly, to reassure the Savior, which felt odd, since the only person she had ever reassured before was Henry and she hadn't done that with any success in a very long time. She gently settled herself on the _ground _next to Emma as she continued, "I mean, yes, you should be angry, but I shouldn't have snapped at you. I should have asked you to explain. To help me understand. Why aren't you?"

To Regina's surprise, Emma answered, "I _am, _believe me. I just learned a long time ago that I can't let anger control me, because it never works out in my favor. And I want this to work out in my favor, in our favor, so we can save _our _son."

At that, Regina allowed herself a small smile, "You caught that, huh?"

Emma returned the smile with a tiny grin of her own, "Yeah. And thanks, for that. Because even though you said all that other stuff, which, I know, you've just apologized for, I know it wasn't easy for you to say that. It's the first time you've called Henry that, you know? Ours."

Regina nodded, "Well, I know how much you love him, and how much he loves you."

Emma's smile grew before it faltered and was replaced with a frown, "He loves you too, Regina. You know that, right? And I'm sorry I can't, couldn't light the fire the way you wanted me to. It's just that, like I said, anger doesn't really work with me. You saw what happened when I first came to Storybrooke. I reacted to your anger with my own and all that ever caused were problems. And I wasn't even really angry with you then."

Regina let out a surprised laugh, "You sure seemed that way to me."

"No," Emma shook her head, "I was angry with myself. Because I let Henry go. Here he was, this sweet, smart, handsome little boy and I couldn't take credit for any of it. I didn't raise him. I didn't_ know_ him. And it was my choice not to. Yeah, I did it because I wanted to give Henry his best chance, and I could see that he had that with you, and I was angry because I knew he couldn't have had that with me. And I – "

But Emma faltered and trailed off. Regina, however, was curious. "And you, what?"

Emma looked sheepish and in that moment Regina noted that she looked very much like her father, "I was jealous."

"Of me?" Regina asked, not surprised.

Emma shook her head, "Of Henry."

That did surprise Regina and all she could say was, "Oh?"

"Yeah, uh, I," Emma scratched the back of her neck, "I never got that, you know? A mom like you, who actually cared about me. And I know I asked if you loved him, that first night. But it was more because I was insecure than I doubted you did. I just, I wasn't ever truly loved, I guess, or when I thought I was, it turned out I wasn't so I couldn't believe that this was all true, you know? That I really did give up that baby boy all those years ago to give him his best chance and he got it. Because _you_ seemed too good to be true. So I guess I got stupid and I wanted to make you fight for him, to prove to me that you loved him, so that I'd feel better."

"I did fight for him," Regina murmured, not wanting to interrupt Emma necessarily but wanting to confirm that her love for her son was genuine.

"I know," Emma smiled, her smile and her eyes a little sad for reasons yet unknown to Regina. "And Henry knows. Even before all this Evil Queen and fairytale crap turned out to be _true, _we both knew you loved him and we both know it now. But at the time, the harder you fought the angrier I got with myself and the more jealous I was of Henry. Especially after the curse was broken, because, even now, my parents, they don't fight for me. They fight for their 'true love', they did that even when you had them all cursed, and they fight for what they believe is right, but they don't fight for me. They don't even believe in me."

"That's not true," Regina insisted. "They believe in you. And they fought for you."

"No," Emma said, sounding so certain, "they fought for their kingdom, for themselves. They believe that I am the 'Savior', but that's different. You know it's different. Because you love Henry, Regina, _Henry. _You don't love what he _could _be; you love what he _is. _You are fighting for who he _is, _not some idealized version of him you don't know. I mean, you heard Snow. She didn't even think I could conjure fireballs or manage to practice magic with you without turning evil."

"Snow knows I'm very persuasive," Regina tried to joke, but like with a lot of her attempts at humor, it fell flat. "You've got to give them a chance, Emma. They love _you. _And Henry loves you."

"Sometimes it doesn't feel that way," Emma admitted. "Because even to Henry, it seems that all I am is the Savior, meant to break your curse. And I did that, so now what? But with you, Regina, with you it feels like maybe if I don't belong, I at least have someone who understands me."

And Regina did understand, more than she let on. And she knew that Emma understood her, too, because Emma had met her mother. And seen how desperate Regina had been to reunite her mother with her heart based on the small hope that maybe, maybe her mother would love her, maybe she would be enough, finally. And she knew that Emma could sense how on edge she still was about Henry's affections.

So Regina nodded, "I do."

"I know," Emma looked her in the eye then, "which is why I got upset. Because you get me. Yet you still, you said –"

"You weren't enough," Regina finished for her, and now she truly felt sorry for her words.

Emma didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes and the tears threatening to fall were adequate confirmation for Regina.

"I'm sorry," she said again as she wrapped the Savior in an awkward embrace. "Truly, I am. I didn't know that you – no, I did know you'd be hurt by that. I just thought you'd be angry and you could light the fire and everything would be like it always is, with us fighting but with us also getting things done."

"I'm sorry," Emma said, not removing herself from the hug, her voice sounding so small. "I'm sorry I can't –"

"Look at me," Regina commanded, her voice stern, because this was a point she needed to make, "You _are _enough, Emma Swan. You are enough for Henry, and you are enough for me. And what you can do with your magic, anger or not, is impressive. You are much better than I was when I was first learning."

"Yeah?" Emma asked, a small smile playing on her lips as she made sure her gaze never left Regina's.

"Yes," Regina confirmed. "To everything. And there _is _one way, maybe, that we can get your powers to reach their full potential. Another emotion you can tap into, aside from anger."

"What is it?" Emma asked.

"Love."


	4. Chapter 3

"Love?" Emma asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and the ache of unshed tears.

Regina gave the other woman a smile as she nodded, "Yes, love. You know what they say, True Love is the most powerful magic of all. And you, Emma, are the product of that magic."

Emma cocked her head, "If love can work, to enhance magic or whatever, why do you use your anger?"

Regina was unsure of how to respond to that. She knew the Savior was familiar with at least some parts of her rocky past. Surely she knew why Regina resorted to anger instead of love.

Sighing, Regina replied, finally breaking the awkward embrace she and the Savior had been sharing, "I never had much love in my life, Miss Swan. And-"

"Emma," the blonde interrupted. "My name is Emma. Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" Regina responded, unaware of what Emma was asking.

"My name," Emma replied. "When something gets too personal for you, you call me 'Miss Swan' or 'Sheriff' or something, but when you're, I don't know, being _you _and nice and stuff, you call me by my name, 'Emma'. How come?"

"Oh," Regina said, not sure if she wanted to go into that with the other woman. They really didn't have time to psychoanalyze why she addressed the Savior by different monikers. "I was unaware it bothered you. I will try to call you by your name, if you prefer. And, for the record, I'm not nice."

"I mean," Emma began, "it doesn't really bother me. I just, it makes me wonder if you're trying to push me away or something. And you are so totally nice. If you weren't nice, we wouldn't be here right now."

"We're here in Neverland to save Henry, Emma, not because I'm nice," Regina said, and upon receiving a look that clearly meant Emma knew she was hedging, Regina amended, "And we are sitting here on the ground right now because I needed to talk to you, to help you understand that you _can _use your magic, so that we might actually save our son. It's purely selfish on my part, not nice."

"Right," Emma smirked, "and that hug? Totally for your benefit alone, huh?"

Regina ignored the comment as she went on, "As far as pushing you away goes, I tried that already, and if you recall it did not work. I'm hardly a woman who repeats her mistakes, if she can help it. Back on topic, it was always easier for me to hate than to love, for reasons I do not wish to go into at the current moment. But I think you might, considering you _are _a Charming, find it easier to allow your love to overcome you and help with your magic."

Emma nodded, ready to drop the topic, because she knew Regina was beginning to feel uncomfortable. And, she realized, they had been away from the clearing where they left Snow for a while. She didn't want Snow to have to come looking for them, or, specifically, she didn't want Snow to ruin the moments she had shared with the former Evil Queen.

"You ready?" Emma said, standing up and offering her hand out to Regina. "We better get back to camp before Snow decides we're lost."

Regina accepted the proffered hand and stood up too, "Well, then, you have nothing to worry about, dear, because your parents have quite the knack for finding their family. Something I think that was passed onto the rest of the Charming line."

"Yeah," Emma smiled, "I guess so. And I'm really glad Henry found me back in Boston. Hopefully the 'finding' gene didn't skip a generation and we'll be able to use it to find him here."

Regina nodded, "Hopefully."

The pair slowly started walking in the direction back to their camp site. Each woman remained silent, lost in their own individual thoughts and worries. Neither felt pressured to make conversation. Both felt they had talked enough and were now content to enjoy, momentarily, the companionable silence they currently found themselves in.

Regina was thinking about what Emma had said about being glad Henry had found her in Boston. Although she would never admit it to anyone, she found that part of her was glad Henry had found Emma as well. Things were clearly far from perfect, but the former queen realized that she much preferred it this way, now, than she had when she had been alone before Henry and after he started to pull away from her. Emma may be a reluctant ally, but she understood Regina in ways no one else had since Daniel. And in some ways, the pain each of them had experienced in the past led to the two women sharing a much greater understanding than Regina had ever had with Daniel.

* * *

The walk was taking longer than either Emma or Regina expected. Neither woman recalled the journey away from the clearing taking very long, but both of them had not been concerned with distance when they made their way away from the clearing and Snow.

"Are you sure we're headed in the right direction?" Regina asked.

"Pretty sure," Emma said. "Besides, if not, then it'll be just like you wanted before. Us, away from the others. Less distraction, more focus on finding Henry."

"Indeed," Regina said, "but I left Snow with a burning fire and I would hate for her to set the island on fire."

"Ah," Emma said, deepening her voice a little, "and only _you _can prevent wildfires."

That was when they heard it. Emma did first, her recent experience as a bounty hunter helped her pick up the sounds. Twigs being snapped, perhaps by footfalls. Emma instinctively held out her arm to halt Regina's progress and she looked at her in a way that communicated the need for silence.

If it had been anyone else, Regina would have scoffed and kept moving. And while she hadn't heard the sound that had put Emma on edge yet, she knew it would be best if she did as Emma wanted. If not as an actual precaution for her safety, then to at least demonstrate to Emma what she had said earlier. Regina believed in her, she was enough, and if for some reason she thought they had come into danger in the distance between the camp Snow was in and the trees they had been huddled against moments before, then Regina would stop and let Emma do what Emma needed to do to feel safe.

But then Regina heard it, too. The breaking of twigs, it was getting closer. She looked at Emma, but Emma was not looking at her. Emma was looking around, seeing if she could determine the direction of the source of the sound.

Regina hoped it wasn't another ambush for a brief moment, before she decided that she very much hoped it _was _an ambush because she and the Savior were ready.

Emma stepped away from Regina, signaling that Regina should stay put and on guard. Regina nodded, unsure of what the other woman was planning on doing. She was proud to note, however, that Emma had already conjured a fireball. She was a very quick study and Regina knew that immediate present threat or not, Emma's strong mastery over the few parts of her magic Regina had been able to teach her to control would come in handy.

It was then that she saw a figure in her peripheral vision and faster than she could alert Emma, whose back was turned, and conjure a fireball herself, she was knocked unconscious.

* * *

When she awoke, she was surprised to see that it was Emma's face hovering above her own and not the face of whomever knocked her unconscious.

"Regina, are you okay?" Emma asked, and Regina could tell that the Savior was doing a cursory visual examination of her being to determine whether or not she was indeed okay.

"I'm fine," Regina said, and she could honestly say that she was. She felt no worse than she had before losing consciousness, aside from what she assumed was a mild bump on the head she must have sustained as she fell to the ground. "What happened?"

As an answer to her question, Emma's face took on a look of disgust as she helped Regina to sit up so she could see the figure that was tied to a nearby tree by vines.

"_She _thought it would be a good idea to knock you out with poppy dust," Emma said, a hint of anger lacing her voice. "She says she knows you. That her name is Ti-"

But Regina did not need Emma to finish, because as she eyed her would-be attacker, Regina realized who it was with surprise, "Tinkerbell?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the fairy spat.

"How?" Regina stammered, and neither blonde was certain who she was addressing. Then she looked at Emma, "How did you manage to tie her up?"

For a moment, Emma's look of disgust at Tinkerbell disappeared and she smiled at Regina, "I used my magic. The way you taught me with that log. You know, I moved the vines."

Regina regarded Emma for a moment, truly impressed with her control over her magic. "That's quite remarkable, Emma. You really are powerful."

Emma's smile grew brighter, "Thanks. But what do we do with her?"

"It depends," Regina stated as she properly stood up and as Emma, who had been crouching down next to her, stood as well, "on what she's doing here and what she knows."

The queen walked over to where her old acquaintance and inspected her. She noted that Tinkerbell looked very different now than she had when she had first encountered her those several decades ago.

"What happened to you, Tink?" Regina asked, genuinely curious as to what could have happened to make the fairy look so unlike herself.

"_You _happened to me," Tinkerbell replied, anger lacing her tone. "Because of you, I'm not longer a fairy! Because of you, I was banished here, where I've had to fight for my survival every damn day."

"Me?" Regina asked, wondering how she could possibly be to blame for causing this misery to someone she had once considered a friend. "I don't recall doing anything to you."

"Wait," Emma spoke up, "how do you two know each other?"

Before Tinkerbell could answer, Regina replied, "We knew each other a long time ago. Tinkerbell tried to help me."

"And a whole lot of fucking good that did me," Tinkerbell said. "The queen here was miserable and I mistakenly tried to help her find happiness. But she sure as hell didn't take it, and because of that, because I broke the rules to help _her _my wings were taken from me."

At this, Regina looked at Tinkerbell in a new light, "You no longer have magic?"

"Were you not listening?" Tinkerbell asked angrily. "No, of course you weren't! You didn't listen the first time I tried to tell you something either. Why would you listen now? No. I don't have magic. The Blue Fairy took my wings, took my magic, and sent me here."

"So you found a way to survive?" asked Emma, sensing an opportunity. "To navigate the island?"

"Yeah," Tinkerbell said, "because I've been stuck on this goddamn island for fucking ever."

"Then you can help us?" Emma asked. "Do you know how to find Pan's camp?"

"Why would I help _you?" _Tinkerbell asked, incredulous. "You're with _her!"_

Regina was upset. She didn't know exactly how she was the cause of Tinkerbell's predicament. The events of their friendship, and later estrangement, happened so very long ago, the memory was unclear. It had been another lifetime, a time before her days as the Evil Queen. But she knew that if Tinkerbell had knowledge that could be useful to them, they would have to make her talk. And she knew how to make people talk.

"I don't know what happened to have you so angry with me, Tinkerbell," Regina began. "But you _will _help us."

"Right," Tinkerbell said, sarcasm dripping heavily, "because helping you, dear queen, worked out _so _well. I don't have magic now, because of _you. _I have nothing."

"If you do not help us," Regina threatened, "we will leave you here."

"So I can die?" Tink asked. "Good! I have nothing to live for anyway."

Yet that wasn't true and Regina and Emma could both sense that. Why else would the former fairy keep herself alive all these years?

Regina glanced at Emma, "A word, dear."

The two walked some distance away from Tinkerbell, far enough that she couldn't hear them but close enough that they could still keep an eye on her.

"What are you thinking?" asked Emma.

"Obviously, we need her help," the queen answered. "And I think I know how to get it, but you won't like it."

"Is it evil?" Emma asked, not sounding as if she disapproved, which startled Regina. Because she knew that Emma loved Henry and wanted to get him back at all costs, she just hadn't been aware that the daughter of _Snow White _would ever agree to anything 'evil' to get the job done. And, Regina found, she wasn't prepared for Emma to have to pay that cost.

"Not as evil as it could be," Regina answered. "But we don't know how much time we have left and this is the only way I can think of that will work."

Emma started to say something but then she paused. After a look from Regina, she opened her mouth again, "What if there's another way?"

"And what's that?"

"Well, like you said, before, you know, earlier," Emma stuttered. "When you were talking about my magic. I could, you know, use love instead of anger. To make it better. What if, instead of whatever you're planning, which I'm sure would be very, um, powerful, we try to do it with-"

"Love?"


End file.
